A Strained Relationship
by faultyandroid
Summary: Riley is very inconsiderate of Huey's worry for his safety, and Huey is fed up, letting out feelings that are far overdue. Will their broken relationship ever be fixed? Huey x Riley, Incest. Rated T for language. The final part, Part Two, has been posted! Please read and review! :)
1. It Hurts to Care

**A Strained Relationship**

**Part One: It Hurts to Care**

Living in one house together was bad enough, let alone having to live with the fact that they were brothers. Huey and Riley did not get along, at all. Riley was constantly getting himself into trouble, either at school or in the community, and Huey always had to clean up the mess. Grandad would overlook everything, not really knowing what was going on anyway. He went on fishing trips a lot. Most of the time, Huey and Riley were home alone. Huey, being more precise, was usually home alone. Riley was constantly going out. Luckily for them, Huey had picked up a few skills during these times. Cooking, cleaning, and most frequently, _babysitting_ his younger brother, even though they were in high school. It was becoming quite tiresome.

Riley busted the bedroom door open, waking Huey from a well-deserved nap. Huey slowly opened his eyes, glaring at his thug-wanna-be brother.

"Would it kill you to be more quiet?" Huey hissed, sitting up on his bed. Riley rolled his eyes and continued to their closet.

"Yeah, it sho' would." Riley snarled, pulling one of Huey's hoodies from the closet. Huey sighed in irritation, ready to snatch Riley by his neck. However, Huey had better self-control than anyone in Woodcrest, he was able to let things slide easier than normal.

"Uh, where are you going?" He asked. "And why are you taking _my_ hoodie?"

"Goin' out wit Ed and Rummy, why do it matter?" Riley retorted, pulling the hoodie over his head and walking towards the door.

Huey stood up from his bed and blocked the doorway, crossing his arms. "You're not going anywhere, for one. So take off my hoodie." Riley simply chuckled.

"Says who?" He laughed, trying to walk around his brother, only to be blocked by Huey's extended arm. Huey also noticed his brother still ignored his command to take off the hoodie.

"Me. Grandad isn't here, and I'm responsible for you. I'm not gonna be the one to get in trouble because you wanted to be crazy in public with those criminals."

"Nigga you ain't the boss of me! So move!" Riley yelled, pushing Huey out of the way. Huey normally would have retaliated, but he had just woke up, he didn't feel like fighting.

"Whatever. You get in trouble, don't expect me to come save your dumb ass." Huey closed the bedroom door after hearing Riley slam the front one. He rubbed his head in frustration. Though he didn't act like it, he was genuinely worried about his brother's safety. Other than Grandad, Riley was the only thing he had in this world, and if he'd lost him, he wouldn't know what to do. They may have fought like cats and dogs, but deep down, they had a lot of compassion for each other. Believe it or not, Riley had said such words to Huey before, when they were younger.

The phone started to ring, and Huey ran downstairs to the kitchen to answer it. It was Grandad, calling from his fishing trip.

"Boy!" He shouted. "You there?"

"Yes Grandad." Huey answered.

"Okay, well I'm not gonna be home tonight. I met a lady friend here and we're gonna stay at a hotel." Grandad began laughing, and Huey raised an eyebrow.

"Too much information, Grandad." Huey said in a monotone voice.

"Boy, you know yo' Grandad got game!" Grandad chuckled, accidentally hitting a button on the phone, making a _beep_ sound. "Keep an eye on your brother!"

Huey thought about Riley, him leaving to go out with Ed and Rummy. He let out a heavy sigh, then answered. "Yeah Grandad." And with that, they said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

The clock read 1:30 AM, and Huey sat on his bed, worried sick. Riley still hadn't come home. Huey was scared that his brother had gotten in trouble with the law, or something worse.. He grabbed his jacket and a loaded gun for safety, running out of the room and down the steps. Just as he was about to open the front door, Riley pulled it open from the outside, looking up at his older brother with shock. Huey narrowed his eyes, grabbing Riley by the collar and dragging him to the living room. He threw the younger onto the couch, standing in front of him with crossed arms and an angry expression.

"What the fuck I do?!" Riley yelled.

Huey tensed up, ready to smack his brother across the face. "Where the hell were you?!" He yelled. "Do you even realize how damn late it is?!"

"Nigga I can tell time!" Riley retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Then why didn't you bring your ass home earlier?! I was thinking you went off and got yourself killed!" Huey began pacing, his face flustered with anger. "I was ready to go looking for your stupid ass!" He pointed as his loaded gun on the side of his waist.

"I don' need to come home earlier! I don' care what you was thinkin', or what you was 'bout to do, nigga you ain't my dad! Damn, I hate you sometimes!" Riley crossed his arms as well, turning his head and refusing to look at his brother.

Huey's eyes widened a little, absorbing Riley's words. They hurt him. "I'm not trying to be your dad! I was fucking worried about you!" Huey yelled, shaking his head. He started to calm down, realizing there was no getting through to Riley. "But you don't care, so whatever. If you don't, then I don't give a fuck either." Huey turned around and began walking away.

"Why is you-"

"Don't talk to me. I don't care what you have to say. Why don't you go back out with your friends?" Huey's voice trailed off, walking up the steps and slamming the bedroom door behind him. Riley sat on the couch, in somewhat of a shocked state. Huey may have gotten mad at him, called him names, etc. But he had never yelled and said stuff like that before. He really wanted to yell back, try to insult him, typical Riley urges. But something was different this time. Riley wasn't really mad at all, actually, he was hurt. Just like Huey, Riley didn't show his emotions very well. He definitely had them, because he was overwhelmed with them at this moment. Although he had all his friends, his brother (and Grandad when they weren't fighting) was the only person he really cared about, and he only cared about his brother's perception of him. Riley had told Huey this once, but of course, he never told him the full extent of his compassion for him. Huey simply meant a lot to him. _A lot._

Upstairs, Huey was laying in bed, reading a book on controversial matters. When he heard the door open, he rolled his eyes and faced the opposite direction, avoiding eye contact with his younger brother. Riley walked around to the other side of the bed, trying to get his brother to look at him. His efforts, however, were pointless.

"Why is you so mad?" Riley asked, in a more soft voice. No answer. "Huey?" Riley asked again. Huey stayed silent. Riley grew frustrated. "Nigga will you answer me?!"

Huey rolled his eyes, looking up from his book and moving his eyes towards Riley. "What do you want?" He said nonchalantly.

"I wanna know why you so mad at me!" Riley began raising his voice.

"Why? You don't care, anyway." Huey didn't change his facial expression, not even blinking.

"Well... I-I don' care!" Riley stuttered. "I jus' wanna know!"

"Why do you want to know?" Huey glared at his brother with irritated eyes. "If you don't care what I think, why would you want to know why I'm mad?"

Riley started shaking, like he wanted to say something but also didn't want to. His face became flustered. "Can you jus' tell me? Please?"

Huey sighed, closing his books and throwing it to the side of his bed. "Your dumb ass could have gotten hurt, or killed, hanging out with those guys. Then to top it all off, you don't come home until fucking 1:30 in the morning? Am I supposed to just not worry?"

"Uh, ye-"

"No, Riley. What would Grandad say to me if something happened to you? Better yet, what the fuck would _I _do if something happened to you?!" Riley raised his eyebrows, surprised at his brother's words. Riley could hear the true sadness and hurt in his older brother's voice. He wanted to say something, but didn't say anything, allowing his brother to continue. "I ignore half the shit you say to me, because I'm fucking mature enough to let it go. All your stupid antics, all the trouble making, everything! Yet, you don't even have any consideration to come home at a decent hour?! You could have at least called someone if you knew you were gonna be home late! It would be different if it was every so often, but it's not! It's damn near every day! Why don't you fucking stay home for once?! I'm worried about your safety, but that obviously doesn't matter to you. That's why I'm mad." Huey rolled his eyes and turned himself away from the younger Freeman.

Silence took full control of the room. Riley stood with an awestruck expression. He'd never thought of how his brother felt about him going out all the time. He'd never realized that his brother was always worried about him, until now. It was almost like Huey was trying to say that he wanted Riley to stay home with _him _more often, or at least that's how he interpreted it. Could his brother be merely trying to spend more time with him?

Riley let out a long sigh. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't kno-"

"Don't apologize," Huey interrupted, "'cause tomorrow you'll be back to telling me how much you hate me or how much you don't care. Save it."

"That ain't true! I-"

"Riley, I'm done with this conversation." Huey mumbled, a tear escaped his eye. He wiped it away, letting out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding in.

Riley, too, was swelling up with tears. He didn't want to be done with the conversation, but no matter how many times he tried to apologize, Huey wouldn't let him. His chest, his heart to be more specific, hurt. Riley undressed himself, down to a t-shirt and boxers, turned off the light, and crawled into his own bed. He wrapped himself in his blankets, trapped in his thoughts. He kept thinking of Huey's words, they repeated over and over in his mind. It made him rethink the decisions he had made, it made him rethink what he had said. The sad thing about it was that he wasn't sure if he could fix what he had broken. He daringly broke the silence that had overcame the room. "Goodnight, Huey." Unfortunately, there was no answer. With that, Riley sniffled and closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep in order to escape the horrifying tranquility.

Huey truly did want to say goodnight to his brother, but he chose to keep silent. He was struck with so much anger and sorrow, he figured the best thing to do was to stay quiet and keep his words to himself. He didn't want to say something he might regret. However, Huey understood that his words to Riley was something that he did regret. Yet, he didn't regret it, either. He let out his true feelings, and they were long overdue. Who knows, maybe his words would actually get to Riley, make him understand what he was trying to tell him. He felt another tear go down his face, wiping it off in his pillow. Huey wondered if this issue was ever going to be resolved, or if he and Riley would even speak after this. Would his feelings for Riley be too weak to sustain such a connection? Maybe, his feelings for Riley would be too strong for a bond like theirs.

This relationship had become far more than strained.

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Mending One with Two

**A Strained Relationship**

**Part Two: Mending One with Two**

A storm was brewing, and it wasn't just in the sky. The night sky was continuously lit by the strikes of lightning crashing into the earth. The thunder rolled like a bowling ball into a set of pins, shaking the house with a powerful bang. The rain splattered against the glass of the window, while the wind screamed and howled in the night. This atmospheric eruption was the perfect setting for a person to have a nightmare, and it just so happened that the Freeman household was a victim of such night terrors.

Riley gasped for air as he sat up quickly in his bed. His breathing became heavy, almost to a hyperventilating state. It was quite often that Riley would have nightmares, though he would never tell anyone what they were about. He'd rather keep them to himself. He looked around desperately in the darkness, flinching at the light that surrounded the room, then at the crack of thunder that directly followed. Riley glanced over at his brother, who was oddly enough sleeping peacefully in the bed next to him. He sighed, remembering the altercation that they shared before going to bed. However, Riley was one for moving on from an issue pretty quickly, opposite of Huey. Getting up from his bed, he walked over to Huey and tapped him on his shoulder, waking him.

"What." Huey mumbled, repositioning his head on his pillow without opening his eyes.

"C-Can I sleep in your bed?" Riley hesitated, he knew his brother probably wasn't in much of a mood for him. Huey sighed extra loudly, rubbing his eyes.

"Nightmare?" He questioned, looking up at his younger brother. He gave a slight nod. Riley asking him to sleep in his bed wasn't a rare occasion, nevertheless. Though he found it odd, since they were 16 and 14 years old, Huey didn't mind. Even if he was still mad at the boy, it was hard to deny a request like this, especially in knowing that he was actually scared. He moved over in his bed, allowing Riley to lay down next to him. Huey turned the other direction, closing his eyes once more to go back to sleep. He felt a touch on his back, and he looked over his shoulder to find a sleep Riley curled up close to him. He couldn't help but smirk at the sight, even though he was still upset with him. Laying his head down, the revolutionary began thinking to himself. In all honesty, staying mad at Riley was a pointless effort, because in the end, Huey knew he would always stay by his little brother's side no matter what he does. He may not agree or be happy with his actions, but that was still his brother. Huey loved him. Upon deciding to move on from the matter, Huey closed his eyes and drifted into a untroubled sleep.

The sun rose to bring a bright, sunny morning into existence. Huey's eyes cracked open, the light from the window causing them to squint. He sat up, yawning and stretching all in one motion. Looking to the side, he noticed that Riley wasn't lying there. This was odd, due to the fact that Riley liked to sleep in until the early afternoon. But, the clock read 9:00 AM. Stepping out of bed, he walked out of the room and downstairs to find an unusual sight in the kitchen.

"Riley?" Huey said, shocked at what his eyes revealed to him. Riley turned around from the stove, giving a slight wave. The kitchen had a scent of eggs and bacon, and he could hear the grease sizzling as well. Huey rubbed his still-drooping eyes, unbelieving of what he was seeing. He smirked to himself, following up with a small laugh. "You made breakfast, for _me_?"

Riley quickly turned around, and the older good notice the blushing on his face and the embarrassment in his eyes. "No!" He yelled. "I... jus' got hungry..."

Huey raised his eyebrows. "Ah," he breathed out, "that's why you set out two plates, two glasses, and my favorite tea?" He began chuckling to himself as he leaned on the edge of the doorway.

Riley's face reddened even more than before, and he quickly turned back to the stove. "Maybe I wanna try some.." He mumbled. Huey knew what it was. Even if he did want to try the tea, that still doesn't explain why he set out two plates and glasses. Grandad wasn't home, and none of Riley's friends were ever up this early. Huey had to admit though, it was an adorable gesture. Letting the food cook for a minute, Riley prepared everything else, setting it onto the kitchen table. When the food was done, he split the proportion in half, placing some on each plate. He filled each glass with an herbal tea, and the rest was already prepared. He sat at the table, glancing over at Huey. Huey walked and sat at the table as well, digging in to his brother's surprisingly good food. Riley smiled, seeing that Huey enjoyed the food, and began eating himself. When they were both done, Huey gave a silent thank you to his brother, making his way to the living room. While he sat and watched TV, Riley cleaned up the kitchen. After he finished cleaning, Riley came into the living room and sat on the couch, his head hanging down. The older Freeman could tell what was coming: an apology. Riley didn't act in such a way unless he was upset about something. There was definitely something up, because Riley wouldn't ever voluntarily cook and clean without someone paying him. Riley lifted his head to speak, but Huey stopped him before he could begin.

"I don't need an apology." Huey stated, shaking his head.

"No, but you deserve one." Riley answered, nervously messing with his hands. "Huey, I'm sorry 'bout yesterday. I jus' don' want you to be mad no more..." He started choking on his words, beginning to tear up. Huey looked at him with accepting eyes, really happy to hear his brother apologize. It showed that his brother had some compassion in him. Huey rested his hand on Riley's shoulder, a slight smile on his face.

"It's fine. Just relax." Huey said calmly. Riley frantically shook his head.

"No, it ain't fine!" Riley rose his voice. He leaned over to his brother and hugged him, not letting go. Huey was shocked, he didn't even know how to react. "I shoulda come home last night, a-an' I shoulda been more considerate..." Huey rubbed Riley's back, allowing him to vent out all these feelings. He tried to interject, but couldn't get a chance to with Riley sobbing into his shoulder. "Huey I-I'm jus' so sorry, please... don' be mad! I do care, I do, I promise!" Riley lifted his head to show to tearing eyes and flustered face. "I don' hate you, I don'! I-I lo..." He didn't finish his sentence, and he buried his face into Huey's chest. Huey was at somewhat of an impasse, just because he'd never seen his brother act like this. It was abnormally out of character. All he could do is hold the younger boy, comfort him.

"Riley, it's okay." Huey said softly. Those were the only three words he could seem to find, other than that, he was speechless.

Riley began mumbling into Huey's chest. "I-I swear, I'm gonna start actin' right, a-an I'm gonna stay home more, a-an I'm gonna show you that I care! I don' wanna lose you, jus' please, don't be mad..." He continued his sobbing, choking on every word.

"I'm not mad." Huey responded, sort of hugging his brother tighter. He wasn't mad, he was actually really happy that all of this was coming out. Riley coming to his senses was certainly better than them arguing for the rest of their lives. "And you're not gonna lose me, I promise." Riley's crying ceased, and his head lifted from Huey's tear-soaked shirt and met Huey's eyes. Usually, Huey saw much hatred or attitude in his brother's eyes. But this time, it was something quite the opposite. He saw sensitivity, warmth, and love. Huey smirked, wiping the last tears from Riley's face. "Talk about emotional." They both began to laugh.

"Nigga shut up!" Riley laughed, cuddling more with his older brother. Huey turned on the TV, flipping through the channels, trying to find something decent to watch. Huey would usually turn on the History channel, but instead, he turned on BET, for his brother. They sat in the same position for about an hour, then Huey began thinking about a certain unfinished sentence.

"Riley?" Riley lifted his head. "What were you going to say earlier?"

"What you talkin' about?" Riley asked, hesitating a little. He had an idea of what his older brother was talking about.

"Well, you said you don't hate me, then you said 'I...' You never finished what you were going to say." Riley's eyes enlarged, at loss for words.

"It ain't important now." Riley mumbled, a slight blush on on his cheeks.

"I still want to know." Huey stated.

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"You know you want to tell me." Huey smirked.

Riley shook his head. "No, 'cause you'll laugh at me." Huey sighed, slowly rolling his eyes.

"I promise I won't laugh." Huey said, grabbing his brother's hand. Riley let out a long breath, looking up at Huey.

"I was going to say," Riley started, "that I.. love you." The boy tensed up, expecting the older to laugh hysterically. To his surprise, Huey didn't laugh, let alone say anything. All he did was cock his eyebrow.

"That was supposed to make me laugh?" Huey asked. Riley shrugged, not really expecting the reaction he received. "I love you too. I mean, we are brothers."

Riley sighed, shaking his head and blushing, too. "Yeah, but... that ain't what I mean.. I got feelings.. for you." Riley looked away from Huey, and remained silent. Huey, surprised and confused, also remained silent. He had to think for a minute, what was he going to do? He himself didn't exactly know how he felt about Riley. He loved him like a brother, but there were times when Huey thought of his brother in more ways than just a brother. Maybe there was something there after all?

"Riley.. I, uh-" Huey was silenced by Riley's voice.

"I know, you don' feel the same. It's cool." Riley got up from the couch, holding his arms, and walked upstairs to their room. Huey stared into space, conflicted on the current situation. His brother, loved him. More than a brotherly love, too. He had no idea whether or not to reject his own brother's advances, or to accommodate for Riley's feelings for him. Riley never acted like he liked Huey, and that's what was confusing. They always fought. When would Riley have developed such feelings for him? Better yet, what was he going to do about it? He felt a strange feeling in his stomach, almost like butterflies. Maybe he wouldn't have to accommodate, he could just... love him back. Huey had wondered why he chose to stay away from romance, but he had also thought of a reason why. Maybe Riley was the one he was meant to be with, even if they were related, or even if they fought all the time.. Huey might have been overlooking the one thing he really wanted all this time.

Huey climbed the steps and went into the bedroom, and found Riley hugging his knees on his bed. He sighed, rubbing his head and sitting on the bed next to the younger Freeman. He extended his arm around Riley's drooping shoulders. Riley looked at his brother with his sparkling brown eyes, leaning onto Huey's arm. The older knew that Riley was upset, and he also knew of only one way to solve the problem. Cupping his brother's chin and lifting his head, Huey leaned down and gently pressed his lips against Riley's, passionately kissing him. Riley opened his eyes wide, but didn't waste the opportunity to kiss his brother back. Riley pulled away, giving a slight smile and a blush, although shocked by his brother's actions. Huey pushed Riley onto his back, laying down next to him.

"I thought you ain't feel the same?" Riley smiled, snuggling up next to Huey. Huey smirked, and gave a little shrug.

"How would you know?" Huey asked. "You never even let me answer." He stuck his tongue out, watching as Riley laughed. Huey leaned in and stole a quick kiss, laying his head back down onto the pillow under him. "But it sounds like you're gay."

Riley snickered. "Nigga you gay." He replied, rolling his eyes a positioning his head right under Huey's chin. Huey kissed him on the forehead, chuckling to himself.

"Love you too, Riley." He smiled, taking in the warmth coming from his younger brother. Riley pulled a blanket over both of them, and they didn't leave the bed for the rest of the day. They didn't need to do anything else, all they needed was each others company and love.

**The End.**


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